


Still Valid

by meesherbeans



Series: Always Waiting for You [1]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: F/M, Injury Recovery, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 14:42:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12434958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meesherbeans/pseuds/meesherbeans
Summary: On her way to join her friends for an evening of relaxation, Meila finds Theron outside. The two of them decide to finally discuss the tension and unspoken questions that have lingered between them since her rescue.(Headcanon version of the romance lock-in conversation with Theron in Chapter IX of KotFE.)





	Still Valid

The elevator came to a rough stop, and Meila almost lost her balance as she very quickly hopped off. At least this time, it decided to jerk to a stop at the bottom of its destination rather than the middle. She brushed new dust off her sleeves and smoothed down her training robes with a sigh. The sun warmed her skin, pulling a smile from her. The weather had finally cleared up; maybe it would actually be a nice evening.

Having a drinking night wasn't exactly something she felt up to yet, but after two solid weeks of construction and alliance-building, the Alliance leaders deserved a break. Meila took a deep, calming breath and turned to head toward their makeshift cantina. A figure standing out on the loading dock caught her eye, and she paused to peer. Was that…?

The figure wore an unmistakable red jacket and his implants briefly caught the sun's rays, glinting.

Theron.

Every time she saw him, it conjured so many emotions, most of them conflicting. She was so glad to see him but so sad that she'd missed five years of getting to know him; she wanted desperately to run into his arms, but it had been _five years;_ she was scared he had found someone else while she was gone, but also guilty for hoping he hadn't found some happiness.

However, avoiding him wasn't doing either of them any favors. Her stomach churned as she forced herself to walk over to her old lover, standing a few steps away from him. Rather than say anything at first, she inspected his face. It was shuttered, as usual. She bit her lower lip.

"Thinking?"

Theron's head smoothly lifted and lowered, nodding. Clearly he was not surprised to hear her speak. "Yeah."

Meila shifted uncomfortably, linking her hands behind the small of her back just so that she had something to _do_ with them. "Um. Credit…for your thoughts?"

He cracked a smile at her joke, turning his head to chuckle in her direction. "Don't think you have enough credits for that many thoughts."

They shared a quiet smile before turning their attention back to the scenery in front of them. Odessen really was a beautiful planet. Snow-topped mountains, temperate forests, blue skies, peaceful calm. A gentle breeze rolled over them both, bringing the fresh smell of wet earth from the recent rains. Meila closed her eyes, deeply breathing in the scent while she gathered courage.

She was a fully trained Jedi Master. She had been the Jedi Order's Battlemaster. She maintained a studied and steady calm, even when facing down the Sith Emperor, himself. She didn't waver when Valkorian threatened to kill her for not kneeling, and she didn't falter when Arcann drove a lightsaber through her stomach. But she was still a person and her voice sounded so small in her ears when she could finally force out the question that had been rattling around in her brain for weeks.

"…It's really been five years?"

Theron sighed and crossed his arms. "Yeah. Five years of the galaxy going completely nuts."

She looked over just in time to watch a faint smile grace his lips, and her heart skipped a beat.

"This is the best I've felt about our chances in a very long time, though."

It'd be arrogant to assume he was talking about her; she nodded and stepped over, standing next to him. "Yes, the Alliance _is_ coming together nicely."

His voice held a note of confusion. "No, I'm talking about having you back."

The green skin on her cheeks darkened as she blushed and looked down, crossing her arms. "I wouldn't get too excited that I'm back; I couldn't even get away from Arcann without serious damage, much less take him out."

"What do you mean by that?"

At this point, Theron sounded baffled to her. Meila looked up, catching his concerned gaze with a surprised look of her own. "Lana didn't tell you?"

His brow furrowed and he turned to fully face her, eyes roaming over her body, looking for signs of trauma. "Is that…why you're so tired right now? I figured it was the carbonite sickness…"

She shook her head. "No, the cure Lana gave me fixed that quickly. But Arcann almost killed me when he caught us. That's…why we dropped out of contact: I was stuck in a kolto coma for two days."

They'd both seen their share of wounds throughout the time they knew each other, but being in a kolto coma for two days actually _sounded_ safer than it was, and from Theron's expression, it was clear he understood how serious her injury must have been. She'd never seen him look so stricken, eyes wide with fear.

It was unsettling; she diverted her attention to gingerly pulling the layers of her robe and tunic away, eventually baring a midriff covered in bandages. She then began to peel those off. Anything to avoid having to watch him looking at her like that. "I… Koth managed to drag me away in time, but… Well, uh…see for yourself."

The cool air on her stomach stung, bringing involuntary tears to her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. Airing it out was good for healing, despite the pain. At least, that's what Lana and all the healers told her, so she just went with it.

"What the hell… You need to be more careful, Meila." Meila watched as Theron slowly reached to gently press his fingers near the scar, his face pale. The warmth from his fingers was comforting, even as it made her itch.

"I know." She began to reapply the bandages and clothes wrapped around her torso, silently moving his hand out of the way. "I was still trying to shake off the carbonite coma when it happened."

When she was satisfied with her handiwork, Meila looked up and blinked when she saw Theron's expression. Did it look almost…guilty?

"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you got thawed out. I wanted to be, but Lana was right; I needed to stay behind, work on the diversions, make sure you didn't have the _whole_ Eternal Empire fall on your heads. But… I really wanted to be there."

The corners of her lips turned up slightly; he really was sweet sometimes. "She was right. Thanks to you, we barely made it past the fleet in time. If it wasn't divided, we'd have never made it."

"I'm thankful you did." The words tumbled out of his mouth, quick and uncertain. He paused and gave her a complicated look. "Did you…"

…What was wrong? She tilted her head to the side, confused.

"Uh, have you checked your mail since getting back?"

Meila's eyes shot wide when she realized what he was asking, the churning in her stomach immediately returning. Her arms dropped to her sides.

He was talking about his message.

_I haven't forgotten about you or our time together._

She quickly diverted her shocked expression, watching as she clasped her hands nervously in front of her, careful not to push on her stomach too much. After a moment of quiet recovery, she nodded. "Yes, I have. I…" Meila cleared her throat. "I understand if that letter isn't valid anymore. It's…only been a few weeks for me, but it's been five years for you, and…"

Her voice faltered. She couldn't reasonably expect him to still feel the same way about her. That message was dated over three years ago. _Three years_.

"…I still can't believe you spent three years looking for me."

His voice held a note of amusement, making the right corner of her mouth twitch with silent laughter. "And I still can't believe you managed to fight off carbonite poisoning for five years."

It took a moment before she realized that Theron had cupped his hand on the lower part of her jaw and used his thumb to apply soft pressure, encouraging her to raise her head again. The intimate touch immediately sent a wave of sparks rippling down her back and she followed his unspoken request, lifting her face to meet his gaze once more.

"It's still valid."

Meila could have sworn she felt her lungs fill with pure joy as she took a slow, deep breath, savoring this moment. She tried to smile sweetly, but the elation was already taking over; she grinned goofily, exhaling one note of a laugh. "I… Yes. I care about you, too. So much."

Theron's entire face relaxed as he let go the breath he was holding. "Good. I, uh." His other hand reached to rest on her upper arm, completing an odd sort of embrace. "I haven't been one of those 'destiny' or 'fate' people in a long time, but… Finding you, everything coming together? This sure feels like it to me."

He leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. Meila instinctively closed her eyes, that stupid grin still on her face as she reveled in being so close to him. Feeling his skin against hers. Smelling him. She slid her hands up his chest, moving even closer. Her lips brushed against his as she spoke, and it was intoxicating.

"Are you talking about the Alliance or us?"

"Us."

The word barely left his mouth before Theron claimed her lips with his own, his hand sliding up her arm to instead cradle the back of her head, fingers embedding themselves in her unruly auburn hair.

This felt right.

This _was_ right.

She responded with aplomb, slowly and deliberately luxuriating in the way he tasted. It was _exactly_ the way she had remembered, the way she dreamed when she was allowed to drift off. When he sighed through his nose, Meila nearly lost control of herself, snaking her hands up his shoulders and neck, twining her fingers in his hair. Theron responded in kind, his arm looping around her waist, pulling her into him.

Pain blossomed as his belt buckle pressed into her still-healing scar, the unexpected wave of nausea nearly choking her. Her arms instinctively dropped to protect her abdomen as she ripped her lips from his, coughing and resting her forehead against his shoulder as she tried to recover from the shock.

"…Sorry." Her weak apology could barely be heard, muffled against his shoulder as it was.

Theron's arms carefully encircled her, hands running down her hair and staying far away from her stomach. "No, I'm sorry. That's… We'll have to wait. Are you okay?"

Meila nodded against his shoulder. "I just…need a moment. Trying…not to…vomit on you."

She felt his lips press against her temple before he tightened his arms around her shoulders, offering a comforting embrace. His voice was laced with quiet laughter. "Thank you for that."

"Anything for you."


End file.
